Last month, I made my first visit to Mongolia as Minister for the Indo-Pacific.

Our UK-Mongolia relationship is based on shared democratic values, with our governments, civil society, Parliamentarians and media working side by side to build a more secure and prosperous future for our nations and our people.

The world we face now is increasingly volatile, with global events shaping our lives – wherever we are. We must continue to build partnerships around the world to face our shared challenges together.

That’s why my visit was about translating partnership into practical results: securing opportunities for British business, strengthening economic security, and backing a partnership that has purpose and ambition for today and for tomorrow.

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The UK was the first Western nation to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia over sixty years ago, and that relationship has become ever more important in recent years. Mongolia’s economy is growing by 5–6 per cent a year, and the country is rich in the critical minerals on which the global economy increasingly depends. 

At the heart of my visit was the annual UK–Mongolia Political Dialogue, which I co‑chaired with Mongolia’s Deputy Foreign Minister. In Ulaanbaatar, this partnership is taking shape beneath the city streets. I discussed plans for the city’s first metro system – a transformative project that would cut congestion, reduce pollution and improve daily life for millions. British engineering expertise from projects like London’s Elizabeth Line is supporting those plans, backed by a strong UK Export Finance offer. If this project proceeds, it could generate significant export opportunities for the UK, supporting skilled jobs across our rail, engineering, and professional services sectors.

The benefits of partnership were also clear during my visit to the Gobi Desert, where I visited the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, one of the largest in the world and operated by Rio Tinto, a British‑Australian company. With an ore body the size of Manhattan, the copper and other critical minerals extracted here are essential for everything from electric vehicles and renewable energy to data centres and the technologies that underpin modern life. At Oyu Tolgoi, UK linked investment is supporting communities and strengthening secure, sustainable supply chains the world depends on.

But our partnership is not only about minerals and megaprojects. Long‑term prosperity depends on people, skills, and opportunity. Working with UNICEF and Mongolia’s Ministry of Education, the UK is supporting Mongolia’s decision to make English its official second language through the provision of English‑language teaching, including in remote and nomadic communities. This partnership has already reached more than 147,000 young people, opening doors for the next generation of Mongolians. As one student said to me at our event with UNICEF, learning English “didn’t just teach her a language, it opened up a world of opportunity.”

Alongside this, the UK’s Chevening programme continues to support talented Mongolians to study in the UK, many of whom will go on to shape politics, business and civil society back in their own country in the years ahead. These alumni links are a powerful investment in future prosperity – strengthening long‑term ties that benefit both our nations.  

On my visit I also saw the importance of women’s leadership and civil society to economic success. I met female parliamentarians, business leaders and journalists, and supported UK‑backed work examining the barriers women face in public life. Inclusive economies are stronger economies. Women own two thirds of small and medium sized businesses in Mongolia and are represented at senior levels across heavy industry sectors too. Our tour of the Oyu Tolgoi mine was led by women engineers, and the driver of the “road train” – the long underground lorry, was a young woman.

Maintaining traditional sectors is important alongside new development. In the South Gobi, I also met with a herder family and saw first-hand Mongolia’s nomadic traditions. The family we met owned 100 camels and hundreds of livestock, while their sons have taken up opportunities as engineers at the mine and continue to support their parents as they can. It was a reminder that sustainable growth must work for communities as well as markets – and that responsible investment is essential to long‑term stability. 

Together the UK and Mongolia are investing in the future – in the next generation, in shared opportunity and in a partnership that will deliver in the decades to come.

Seema Malhotra MP

Published Date:2026-04-23